An Analytical Solution for an Elliptical Crack in a Flat Plate Subjected to Arbitrary Loading

An elliptical or partial-elliptical crack (either embedded or surface) of any orientation in a flat plate subjected to arbitrary crack surface loading is studied in this paper. Based on two analytical solutions, an elliptical crack embedded in an infinite space subjected to arbitrary crack surface loading and an uncracked flat plate subjected to arbitrary loading on its bounding surfaces, an alternating analytical procedure has been developed by the authors for the three-dimensional crack problem. The alternating analytical technique for the elliptical crack problem has been also implemented into a user-friendly computer software for use in mainframe and personal computers.